Throughline How the US became America
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Apr 14, 2026 
Daniel Immerwahr, historian and author who studies U.S. imperial expansion, discusses how late-19th-century wars and overseas acquisitions transformed American identity. He covers the Philippine conflict, wartime tactics and casualties, territorial annexations, and how political rhetoric and culture shifted the country’s shorthand from 'United States' to 'America'.
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Philippine War Revealed U.S. Imperialism
- The Philippine–American War transformed the U.S. from a democratic underdog into an imperial power.
- From 1899 to 1913 the conflict killed roughly three-quarters of a million and exposed brutal tactics like the "water cure."
Media Coverage Exposed Moral Contradiction
- Graphic reporting of abuses during the Philippines campaign made the contradiction with American democratic values visible to mainland audiences.
- Photos and accounts of torture and mass graves turned the conflict into a scandal at home and abroad.
Territorial Gains Created An Identity Crisis
- By annexing Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and other territories, the U.S. visibly expanded beyond a contiguous union of states.
- That rapid overseas growth forced Americans to rethink whether the nation was a republic, a union, or an empire.
